Update: Vicente Padilla (4.67, 95 ERA+) scratched, flu-like symptoms. Nippert has pitched in four games this season, all in July, two starts and two relief: 10 innings, 13 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts.

Also: Adam LaRoche will join the team in Boston on Friday. The Yankees beat the Orioles 6-4 this afternoon.Adam Kilgore, Globe:

On Friday, Clay Buchholz walked around the Red Sox clubhouse in Toronto and shook hands with some of his closest teammates. ... "Hopefully I'll see you soon," Buchholz told them. ...

Buchholz [had] assumed he would rejoin Boston in September or maybe next season.

Buchholz has thrown 104.2 innings total this season, and the Red Sox wanted him to take a scheduled, one-start sabbatical. He would rest for two days and then resume his usual throwing schedule.

The next day, Buchholz received a call from a Sox official telling him to throw. A day later, he was told to throw a complete bullpen session. "I sort of knew what was going on without them telling me."

I felt a little twinge on Friday on my way to Toronto, and I had a lot of work to do that day - threw a simulated game. I felt fine, but just afterwards it just tightened up on me. ... I've been getting treatment every day. ... It's just a minor setback.

Wake said he was "very confident" that he will be 100% by the time he is eligible to come off the DL on August 2 -- his 43rd birthday.

"I like the move for the Red Sox. ... He’s real streaky [offensively] and an outstanding defender. ... Most of his bad at-bats come against lefthanded pitching ... He’s a rhythm hitter. If he’s a little off, he can look real ugly. If he’s right, he can get real hot. There’s no in-between with him. ... He plays the game with a very easy pace. Sometimes people criticize that because it can look lackadaisical. ... He’s not just a pull guy. He can go all over the field. There’s ability there. You can’t put up 25 [home runs] and 75 [RBI] every year and not have something."

I will not be watching this game, but I will be receiving regular updates from someones iPhone at a kegger, then from tickers at the post-kegger bar. Last Wednesday summer kegger in the history of the world! of my school career.

he should not repeat what orsillo says, he should not recap what we just saw and he must stop with the "can't give in" and "good at-bat" and "being aggressive" over and over and over and praising players for showing up at the park -- and the incessant "you know".

get someone who can do the job.

red sox fans deserve better than this.

i love him as a player. he sucks in the booth.

and i am muting nesn now. i didn't do that even when remy was hawking his shit website every other batter.

This is a big difference between Buchholz and Halladay that won't change. Buchholz will not consistently go deep into games. Maybe in a few years he can learn to be consistent enough to go 6-7, which is fine these days. But Halladay would give you more. But for how long?

Seriously - you don't bat for Tek there?That water is crystal clear clean.

At least my LL team didn't lose. Although we BLEW a victory. Lightning stopped us after 4 1/2, 1/2 an inning after my 2nd baseman booted a ball into RF that let 2 runs score with 2 outs and tie the damn game. Next batter K's. Lightning stops the game before we can score so we have to finish it later. Without the error, it's official and we win.

No shame on the mound this trip (pitchers held the opponents to 4 or fewer runs in 4 out of 6 games giving up 6 in each of the other two)... the failure all lies with the offensive offense. We should have gone at least 3-3 on this trip.

Seriosly, I for one would never have dreamed we would offense issues coming into this year.At least not the kind of issues we are having right now.I mean everyone hits a slump once in a while, but how often does an entire freaking team slump at once?Let's hope the off day and some good jams from RS, along with a return to Fenway, will put things aright.

OK, RS must be writing the wrap-up. I hope you're bitching a little ;>I'm off to the showers. With my upcoming schedule I might not be live again until we're REALLY live!I'll continue to talk to myself after the games as usual though :)

I guess the question is is this 2004 (A slump followed by an awesome recovery) or 2006 (a slump that just kind of becomes permanent.)? My money's on more like 2004. I think this team's too good to tally fall apart.